The Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) included with Microsoft Windows XP is a good start, but it's no substitute for the type of products we review in this story. You enable Windows XP's firewall from the Control Panel's Network Connections applet by choosing the Properties sheet for your Internet connection, going to the Advanced tab, and checking the Internet Connection Firewall checkbox.

Although the ICF does a pretty good job of blocking and hiding your ports from unwelcome probes, it lacks the ability to control programs on your system that are trying to send information out to the Internet. It also doesn't show any information about potential security threats, nor does it give you any means for tracking down their sources.

Although in our testing, ICF itself does a good job of blocking your ports from inbound attacks, the Windows XP operating system hampers some of the firewalls we review from doing so. The same programs had no problem blocking ports under Win 98.

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